BRITISH CIRCUS BEATS ELEPHANTS WITH HOOKS

Express:

Shocking images of circus elephants being beaten sparked fresh calls yesterday for a ban on wild animals in the Big Top.

An undercover video shot by Animal Defenders International shows three elephants crying out after being hit on the head with a big metal hook, a broom and a pitchfork.

A circus worker is also seen twisting an elephant’s tail.

The animals, part of the Great British Circus, were said to be left chained up for 11 hours at a time…

Couple Mauled To Death By Pack Of Dogs

Telegraph:

A retired professor and his wife were mauled to death by a pack of wild dogs as they walked near their home in Georgia, America…

Squirrel Is Surprise Star Of Holiday Photo

For anyone that missed this photo on the news it’s hilarious!

Rabbit-Eared Bandicoot May Be Making A Comeback

OK who wants to see the sweetest pictures ever?

An endangered marsupial called the ’bilby’ or ‘rabbit-eared bandicoot’  once thrived in Australia, but unfortunately the tiny creature became top of the menu for cats when British settlers arrived.

Their smaller relative, the ‘lesser bilby’ was wiped out completely in the 1950′s - but with the help of hard working naturalists the ‘bilby’ could be on the brink of a comeback.

 OK now you can see a picture: Global Post 

Dog Survives Chasing Rabbit Over 100ft Cliff Edge

Guardian:

A springer spaniel was described as a “lucky boy” today after falling up to 30 metres (100ft) down a cliff and then swimming to safety on a yacht that was almost a mile out to sea.

The dog, Buddy, chased a rabbit over the cliff edge near Old Harry Rocks in Dorset and landed in the sea. He tried to scramble back up, only to fall into the water again…

Dog Left To Die In Bin Bag

BBC News: 

The Scottish SPCA has launched an investigation after a starving dog was left to die tied up in a bin bag.

Council workers discovered the animal at the Garroch Loaning roundabout on the outskirts of Dumfries at about 1100 BST on Tuesday…

Wildlife Crime Unit Detectives Have Taken Advantage Of A Change In The Law

Telegraph:

Detectives seized 200 products believed to be made from endangered animals including musk deer, leopards and tigers.

The store in Lisle Street, at the heart of London’s Chinatown, specialises in traditional Asian medicine.

The raid took place on the day an amendment to the law controlling illegal trade in endangered species came into effect…

Cut In Animal Poisoning – Not Enough

BBC News:

The number of animals in Scotland deliberately poisoned last year dropped slightly to 23 – 12 fewer than in 2007.

The figures, released by the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme, included deliberate attacks on 11 birds of prey…

Help Save Japan’s Dolphins

In The Cove  [New film documentary] a team of activists and filmmakers infiltrate a heavily-guarded cove in Taiji, Japan. In this remote village they witness and document activities deliberately being hidden from the public: More than 20,000 dolphins and porpoises are being slaughtered each year and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as food in Japan, often times labeled as whale meat.

The majority of the world is not aware this is happening. The Taiji cove is blocked off from the public. Cameras are not allowed inside and the media does not cover the story. It’s critical that we get the word out in Japan. Once the Japanese people know we believe they will demand change.

Here is the link to an online petition to President Obama, Vice President Biden and Japanese Ambassador to the United States Ichiro Fujisaki urging them to address this issue.

Australia Considers Mass Killing Of Camels

AP:

Thousands of camels in Australia’s remote Outback could be killed by marksmen in helicopters under a government proposal aimed at cutting down the population of the havoc-wreaking creatures.

First introduced into Australia in the 1840s to help explorers travel through the Australian desert, there are now about 1 million camels roaming the country, with the population doubling every nine years.

They compete with sheep and cattle for food, trample vegetation and invade remote settlements in search of water, scaring residents as they tear apart bathrooms and rip up water pipes…